COPS OFFICE ANNOUNCES $35.2 MILLION IN GRANTS TO HIRE NEW LAW
ENFORCEMENT OFFICERS IN AMERICA’S SCHOOLS

285 Officers to Walk a New Beat

WASHINGTON, D.C. – The U.S. Department of Justice Office of Community
Oriented Policing Services (COPS) today announced grants totaling $35.2 million
to add 285 additional School Resource Officers (SRO) to the nation’s schools.
These grants are being awarded to 73 law enforcement agencies in 30 states.

Today’s grants were awarded through the COPS In Schools program,
which funds the hiring of community policing officers assigned to a school or
school district. The grants provide a maximum of $125,000 toward the salary and
benefits of each new officer over three years. COPS also provides school safety
training for the officer and an administrator from the school to which the
officer will be assigned.

School Resource Officers combine the functions of law enforcement and
education. While the specific duties of an SRO are determined locally based on
community needs, some SROs support the education process by contributing to
classes on state and local law, health classes about substance abuse, and driver
education instruction. SROs in some communities also monitor and mentor troubled
students, serve as coaches, and remain on-duty during school sponsored
extra-curricular activities.

"Ensuring that students have the safest possible environment in which to
learn and develop is a serious undertaking, and many communities have come to
realize that SROs are an important component of school safety," said COPS
Director Carl R. Peed. "We’re very pleased to support communities with
the resources needed to better protect students."

Including today’s grants, the COPS In Schools program has provided
more than $747.5 million to fund and train over 6,567 SROs. For additional
information, please visit www.cops.usdoj.gov.